Wild Horses
by Rebekah Caren
Summary: At nineteen, Juliet promised herself not to fall in love. Nothing but heartache waited. But things change, and not always in the way you think they will.
1. Chapter 1

**Why hello! I didn't see you there. Mostly because you're infront of glass and its dark in here. Anyway, I tried my hand at a Lassiet. Funny thing is, Lassiet is how I got started on Karlton stories. Yep. Anyway, this story is starts in the time between _Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark _and _You Can't Handle This Episode_****. So, cheers and review!**

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**I don't own ****_Psych_****. Not yet. Not ever.**

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I told myself I wouldn't fall again. No love for this girl. Sure, I dated. But I never fell in love. I promised myself not to.

Until I saw him.

Him and his damn eyes.

I spent the better part of three years trying to avoid those every shade blue pools. He made it easy the first year I was there. I could tell he didn't want a new partner, especially a new detective from Miami. Of course, Shawn also helped. All of his antics kept me busy. I even managed to convince myself I liked Shawn. But then, my partner seemed to come around after my first undercover case.

"Are you okay?" he asked, rolling his chair to my desk. I looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, tapping my pen.

"Like hell, you are. You almost had your head cut off today. Go home, O'Hara," he said.

That was the first time I looked into his eyes, and I knew I was done. We had our moments over the years, driving each other crazy and bickering, but we never fought. Ever.

And that made it so much easier to fall.

"Are you okay, O'Hara?" he asked. I snapped out of my thoughts. He looked across the conference table at me. I couldn't help but to smile. His eyes shone in the dim light.

"I'm fine," I said, continuing to skim the cold case file I had. He glanced at his watch.

"Damn, it's a quarter to eleven. Do you want to grab something to eat and then finish this for the weekend?" He asked, ruffling his hair into waves.

"Carlton Lassiter wants to stop working?" I teased. He stuck out his tongue.

"Really more for your benefit. Not everyone can be a robot like me," he said, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't listen to Shawn, Carlton. He's just kidding," I said, closing my file. "And I would love to get some dinner."

Carlton closed his file and placed his notes on top. We stood up and walked into the nearly empty station. I waved to a few of the night shift guys. Carlton handed me my jacket.

"It's cold outside," he said, helping me put it on. His hands skimmed against the back of my neck, igniting the gooseflesh. I tried to ignore it, but the spot was on fire. I pushed the coal like buttons through the light gray wool, resisting reaching to touch my neck. Carlton pulled his suit jacket on, and fished out his car keys. "I'll drive."

* * *

We talked over coffee and Burger King cheesecake.

"C'mon, Carlton! Just give me three reasons you don't like Olympia Dukakis," I challenged, taking another bite of my cheesecake, which was actually decent.

"Look Who's Talking, Look Who's Talking Too, and Look Who's Talking Now," he said, sipping his coffee.

"Those didn't star her," I said, holding back laughter.

"She made the choice to come back twice. Those movies were horrible. But fine, I'll give you three more. The Cemetery Club, Mighty Aphrodite, and Jane Austen's Mafia," he said, taking a bite of his cheesecake. I thought for a second.

"I'll give you those. But that still doesn't explain why you hate her," I said, letting it drop. He grinned and drank his coffee.

"It's late, O'Hara. You want to just go home and finish the files Monday?" Carlton asked. I smiled.

"You want to stop working?" I asked in mock surprise. He rolled his eyes. Those beautiful oceans.

"We've had a hell of a week. Between crime and Spencer, I think we deserve one day off," he said, standing up. I followed suit, and walked out to his Ford Fusion.

"Thanks again for the cheesecake and coffee," I said, sliding into his car, my hand briefly brushing his on the arm rest.

"You're welcome, O'Hara. I could use more coffee, but that's always the case," he said, cranking the engine. I took a deep breath. I was going to ask him. If I didn't lose my nerve.

"Would you want to come over and have some more coffee? I can't offer you Starbucks, but its better than Burger King coffee," I asked quickly, trying not to meet his eyes. He started driving in silence.

Good job, Juliet. You misinterpreted everything tonight. Why on Earth would he want to have more coffee with you? What the hell is wrong with you?

I plundered each of these thoughts, until the car stopped. I turned to thank him for the coffee again before I realized where we were, and where he wasn't.

We were at my building, and he wasn't in the car. My car door opened, and Carlton appeared, holding his hand out to me.

I took it.

"So, chivalry isn't dead," I joked. He smiled. He helped me out of the car and, regrettably, let go of my hand.

"Well, you invited me for coffee, so the least I could do was open a door," he claimed, motioning for me to lead the way. We walked a few doors down, and I fitted my key into the lock, and swung the door open.

My apartment wasn't huge, but it was big enough for me. With two reasonably sized bedrooms and two baths, it had been a bargain. Not to mention the patio area, which had a nearly clear view of the ocean.

But I was suddenly aware of how cluttered it was. An organized mess, my mother called it.

"Sorry, it's a so cluttered. I don't have company very much," I said, shutting the door as Carlton stepped into my living room. I went into my kitchen to start the coffee.

"I don't think it's cluttered. I think it's more of an organized mess," he called. I smiled to myself. I went into my living room to find him looking at the pictures on my walls. I crossed over to him, looking at the picture in his hands.

It was one of my family skiing, before my father left.

"I didn't know you skiied," Carlton said, hanging the picture back on the wall. I grinned.

"I don't. Neither does a single person in my family. We would go every winter, until the year before I left Miami. I took Scott, and that was a mess," I admitted. Carlton nodded, moving to the next picture. My high school graduation.

"You graduated Valedictorian?" he asked.

"Yeah. I had a four- point- oh and a thirty- four on my ACT. Got a full ride to the University of Miami," I said, feeling a bit proud. He cracked a smile.

"Smart ass," he said. I punched his shoulder playfully.

"You graduated top of your class, too, Carlton. And got a scholarship," I said, pushing him to the next picture.

"Police Academy Graduation," he said. I nodded. We both looked at it for a moment.

"Yeah. One of the happiest days of my live. Definitely my proudest," I said. He nodded again, and scanned the other pictures.

"What, no college graduation?" he asked. I smiled wryly, remembering why I didn't have a picture of my college graduation.

"Oh, there's a picture," I said, walking into the kitchen. I poured two cups of coffee, fixing his with the ridiculous two creams and four sugars. I made my coffee and carried the steaming mugs to the love seat, handing Carlton his before sitting down beside him.

"I could have gotten my own coffee, O'Hara," he said. His face gave nothing away, but something about his voice was different. Gentler, maybe.

"You're my guest, and will be treated like one, Carlton," I said, crossing my legs. He took a sip of his coffee and nodded approvingly.

"Thank you, Juliet," he said quietly.

"You're welcome, Carlton," I said almost as quietly.

"So, what about that graduation picture?" he asked. I groaned.

"Fine. So, my friends and I decided to get shit faced the night before graduation. I was fifteen minutes late and had my robe on backwards," I said. He smiled into his coffee.

"Everybody does stupid things, Juliet, whether its from drinking, wanting the limelight, or being in the throws of passion," he said, draining his cup. I placed my half full cup beside his on the coffee table before turning to face him, folding my legs underneath myself.

"Name one stupid thing you've done due to those," I challenged. He raised one eyebrow.

"All three of them?" he asked. I played with the edge of the throw pillow in my lap.

"Yes, Carlton. All three, and then I will," I said.

"Okay, once I was drunk, and decided I should put some Christmas lights on our roof. Bad idea. Good thing I only got half way up the ladder when I fell," he said, pausing to let me take it in. I nodded for him to continue. "You've seen me make an ass of myself time after time in the lime light. And, well, my marriage."

I nodded. He nudged me and said, "Your turn."

"Well, you know my drunk one. Let see, remember when I first transferred? And I said all of that crap to you about interoffice romance? Yeah, I feel like a jackass about that still. And I said it because I was new and everyone was observing me all of the time," I said. Carlton just laughed.

"It's okay, Juliet. I didn't set the best example there," he said. "but you're still missing one." His eyes seemed to sparkle with those slightly darker blue flecks. I felt myself lean in slightly to examine them further.

"Am I?" I asked, still so preoccupied with his eyes. I didn't hear his answer though, because I lost the fight. I pressed my mouth to his, kissing him softly. It had to have been my imagination that his mouth was moving against mine. Mmm, but his lips were so perfect, so Carlton. Carlton. Oh, my God.

I pulled back.

"God, Carlton, I don't know what came over me. I just felt like-" I babbled until he cut me off. A single finger on my lips. I stopped talking, and Carlton cupped my face. And kissed me. Not that I was complaining.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I originally had this nice long chapter that had meaningful conversation, several witty jokes, and a theory on why Carlton hates Olympia Dukakis. But, as I write on my iPod, I selected the story so I could post it, but accidentally hit paste. The last word I copied? Pineapple. This chapter has nothing to do with any of those things, and went from talk to M-ish smoosh. Enjoy. Or not. I'm not particularly good with M-ish stuff.**

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**I don't own Psych, though I do have a pineapple in my kitchen.**

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"Carlton," I moaned. I was straddling him on the love seat. He was kissing his way down my jaw line, making a path for the hollow of my neck. His hands were on my back, once again tracing each vertebrae. My fingers were tangled in his hair, gently raking across his scalp. His lips found my collar bone and then ventured back up to my lips in a mind blowing kiss. His mouth was so amazing, so warm. Carlton was amazing. Carlton. Oh, my God, Carlton! We couldn't do this, even though I wanted to(oh, how I wanted to). If I didn't stop it right then, I wouldn't stop it. I pushed his head back.

"We can't do this," I said, breathlessly. My breath came out short and ragged. What the hell was I doing? I had wanted this man for years. and now I was pushing him away?

"And why the hell not?" He asked, sounding so sensible. His lips were centimeters from mine.

"Because of work," I said, my breaths finally evening out somewhat. I must have been crazy.

"It would make work more difficult," he admitted, brushing his lips against mine once more. My heart continued at its extremely elevated pace. I slid off of his lap. We sat in silence.

"Um, do you want some more coffee?" I asked lamely. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'll take another cup," he said, brushing some hair out of my face. I stood up and took our abandoned coffee mugs into the kitchen. Carlton followed behind me and sat in one of my bar stools. I fixed his coffee and sat it in front of him. I made my own cup and perched on the edge of the stool beside him.

Both of our coffees sat untouched on the counter. He ran a hand through his mussed hair. I tried not to look in his eyes, because if I did, I would most likely jump him. Which would be a good thing. Or bad. The more I thought about kissing him, I really couldn't remember why I shouldn't.

"So," he said. I nodded.

"So," I said. His eyes were so beautiful, so clear and blue. I decided to screw the rules for once in my life.

I leant forward and pecked his lips. That turned into a kiss. The kiss turned into kisses. Kisses turned into devouring. I wanted him so badly. All of him.

Carlton pulled me onto his lap, kissing his way back down to the base of my throat. He found the one spot that drove me crazy and sucked hard. I was going to have to wear a turtleneck Monday. He lifted me up and placed me on the counter. I ran my fingers through his hair, gently tugging him up to my lips. He kissed me hard, his tongue plundering. I moved my fingers down his neck, across his broad shoulders, and settled them on the first button, trying not to pop it off.

His fingers worked the buttons of my slacks, sliding them off of my legs. I pushed his shirt half way down his shoulders and ran my fingers across his chest.

I gasped into his kiss. How could I not when his fingers were where they were?

"Carlton," I moaned, grasping onto his shoulders. I felt like i had been on the edge for hours. He brushed his lips against mine, and then stopped. I growled in frustration, "Carlton!"

"Where is your bedroom?" He asked, collecting me from the counter.

"Down the hall, third door on the left," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. He carried me down the hall and into my bedroom. He kicked the door shut, then dropped me on the bed, his hand behind my head.

I pulled him down to me, kissing him hungrily. My hands wandered south, unbuckled his belt, and worked his pants button. He kicked them off, and I managed to pull his shirt the rest of the way off, throwing it on top of my television. I dipped my hand underneath the band of his boxers. He groaned something that might have been my name. I flipped us over and leant down to kiss down his jaw. I slid my hand against him, and he bucked slightly.

"That's cheating, Juliet," he said, panting slightly. I smiled.

"I'm just playing by your rules, Carlton," I said in what I hoped was a sexy voice. I kissed him again, leaning forward a bit to deepen the kiss. He hooked my panties with his thumbs and pulled them down my thighs. I paused to take them off and to strip my bra off.

"You are beautiful, Juliet," he said, letting his hands roam. He put his warm mouth around one of my nipples, making me arch my back to him. He took the moment to flip us back over.

"Now who's cheating?" I exclaimed. Carlton answered by letting his hand drift back between my thighs. "Carlton," I moaned breathily. I yanked his boxers down.

"I'm guessing now is a little late to ask if you're sure," Carlton said, teasing me. I clawed his back.

"Carlton Lassiter, if you do not make love to me right now, I swear to God I will shoot you with your own gun," I promised.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

* * *

"We should talk about this," I said, using Carlton's chest as a pillow. He kissed my head.

"Probably," he admitted.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want this to be a one time thing," I said, looking up into his blue eyes.

"One time thing is not even on the table," he said. My eyes were starting to get heavy.

"Good," I yawned. "Good night, Carlton."

"Good night, Juliet," he said. He might have said something else, but I was asleep and content.

For now.


	3. Chapter 3

**More Lassiet, all around! I have not slept for more than two or three hours since Monday. Oh well. I'm here now! Yay! Hope you enjoy theirs short bit of filler.**

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"Why do you hate Olympia Dukakis so much?" I asked, twirling my fingers around on Carlton's chest.

"Maybe I'll tell you some other time," he said, stroking my lower back. I lifted my head enough to kiss his nose.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," he agreed. He slid out from under me and fished around on the floor for his boxers. He pulled then on and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" I asked, sitting up.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said. I followed him into my bathroom.

He was already under the hot spray when I joined him. I wrapped my arms around his stomach, not really trusting myself not to let them drift down, and laid my head on his back. The water poured over us. He soaped his body, including my hands, and rinsed himself. He then turned to me and did the same.

"I can bathe myself, Carlton," I said, enjoying his hands.

"Just let me, Juliet," he said. I let him wash my hair, and then I washed his.

"Your hair is gonna smell like peaches," I said, pressing my lips to his warm back.

"Good," he said. "I'll smell like you."

I rinsed his hair, and turned off the water. I grabbed two towels off of the shelf, handing him one. I dried off and wrapped the towel around me, then walked into my bedroom to put on clothes.

Half an hour later, he took me to the station, where I picked up my car, along with the cold case files.

An hour later, and we were back in my bedroom.

"How is this going to work?" I asked, my head on his chest.

"I don't know, but I don't think we have another choice," he said. We laid there in silence.

"I don't think we do, either," I said. "I can't forget this." I motioned all over his body. He kissed me.

"I know I can't," he said. I snuggled into his side.

"How am I going to keep hands off of you at work?" I said. He chuckled. "I'm not kidding, Carlton. I don't know what I'll do. Chief might call us into her office, and I'll go crazy being close to you. Or we're in the Vic, on a stakeout. Or in the conference room. Or in interrogation." He put a finger to my lips.

"Then I guess I'll just have to take extra special care of you every morning," he whispered. I moaned at the thought. "And evening."

"Promise?" I managed to choke out. He smiled.

"Promise."

He kept well on that promise right away.

* * *

"I have a lunch/shopping/dinner thing with my cousin tomorrow," I said. He nodded.

"Okay. I'll see you Monday, then. Now, would you rather watch SVU or Criminal Intent?" he asked. I grinned.

"SVU," we said at the same time. He clicked the button on the remote, and I settled onto his chest. We had relocated to the couch (my bed was a wreck; we had somehow knocked the head board loose) where I was now taking over his lap. Of course, he didn't seem to mind.

"I know you've got a thing for Mariska Haragitay," I said, watching her move across the screen. He shrugged.

"I know you have a thing for Christopher Meloni," he shot back. I giggled.

"What girl doesn't have a thing for him?" I asked.

"Name one other thing you've seen him in," Carlton challenged.

"The Run Away Bride, though I prefer Richard Gere in that movie," I said, snuggling between Carlton and the back of the couch.

"Meh, Julia Roberts is okay," he said. I smiled.

"What is up with you and movies lately?" I asked. He looked defensive.

"What? Can I not watch movies?" he asked. I kissed his cheek.

"Of course you can," I said. "Now, shush, Stabler's gonna cuff that guy."

"Juliet, you've cuffed a guy before," Carlton said. I smiled.

"I've never seen myself cuff a guy. But I've never forgotten my Miranda Rights," I said. He smiled this time.

"I haven't either," he said.

"Then maybe you'd like to read me my rights," I said, hoping it sounded seductive.

"You, Juliet, have many rights. Most of which I think should not be read around Captain Cragen," he said. I stood up and pulled him up.

"Then maybe we should head into the bedroom," I said, pulling him up. He beat me to the bed.

"I'll see you Monday," I said, kissing him as he walked out the door. I closed the door and bolted it. I looked in the mirror in my hall as I passed it.

Disheveled hair, smeared makeup, bruised lips, shirt missing a button.

I could get used to that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Meh heh. I'm supposed to be cutting grass. It's too hot. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, I love talking to people who like Lassiet and Karlton. So, yeah.**

**Disclaimer: 12% of the world's population thinks I own ****_Psych_****. But I'll stop the rumors here. I don't own ****_Psych_****.**

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We didn't make it until Monday.

Sunday night was spent in a fantastic blur, the haze of content settling on us in the early hours of Monday.

"Mmmm," I said, wriggling against Carlton's bare chest. He stilled me with a light kiss, really more of a peck. I wasn't going to settle for that. I parted my lips and tasted him. He pulled away.

"We need to sleep, Juliet," he yawned, kissing me back lazily. I rolled onto him, anyway, play punching him.

"We can sleep later," I said, continuing to 'beat him up'. He looked almost bored until he flipped us over. He supporters himself on his forearms and rested his forehead on mine.

"You want me to cuff you for assaulting a police officer?" he growled, pinning my hands above my head with one of his.

"How long is the sentence for that?" I asked, my heart rate increasing significantly. He left my hands next to my head and trailed his fingers down my side, drifting them over to dance around my naval. Damn tease.

"A year to fifteen ," he said. "If I press charges." His fingers slid to my right hip, then slowly across to my left, dipping down enough to make me buck.

"Please press charges," I said, lifting my head up to kiss him.

* * *

I was on my fifth cup of coffee and had blushed tomato red at least twenty times. And it was only ten-thirty. I stood up and smoothed my skirt down before heading over to the coffee bar again. Buzz was there, carefully tearing packets of sugar over a mug. Carlton's mug.

"Oh, hi, Detective O'Hara," he greeted me, adding a fourth packet. I smiled, pouring my own coffee.

"You don't have to call me Detective, Buzz. It's just Juliet," I said, stirring in a light cream and a two packets of Splenda. He gave me his ear to ear grin.

"Right, sorry. I just forgot," he said, stirring the ridiculous amount of sugar and cream into what was obviously Carlton's coffee.

"Making Carlton's coffee?" I asked conversationally, taking a sip of my coffee. I wasn't quite ready to go back to my desk. Across the bull pen, Carlton stood from his desk and sauntered into the conference room with an armload of files.

"Yeah," Buzz said, pulling me from staring into the conference room. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?" I asked, turning back to him.

"Oh, well, you've had a lot of coffee this morning. Francie drinks a lot of coffee when she doesn't sleep well," he stammered. I smiled at him.

"I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night. I can take Carlton his coffee, if you want. We're about to start looking over more cold case files," I offered. He passed the mug to me.

"Thanks, Detec- Juliet," he said appreciatively.

"No problem, Buzz," I said, picking up my own coffee and walking to the conference room after saying good bye.

I hit the door closed with my hip, the sound drawing Carlton's attention. The blinds were still shut from Friday night, so I sat his mug in front of him and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you," he said, taking a long swig of coffee. I rolled my eyes as I sat beside him.

"You're gonna have a heart attack, the way you take your coffee," I said, opening my case file.

"I'm surprised I didn't have a heart attack this weekend," he said off handedly. "Do you think that James and Dean Foster could have had any part in the abduction?" I dug up that case file and flipped through it.

"They were repeat offenders for vandalism and breaking and entering back in 1998, when they were twenty. They served eight years," I read out from the file. "One accomplice, charges weren't pressed against him, name didn't go down." I yawned.

"I have a pretty good idea who that might have been. I'll have to go check the arrest records," he said, brushing some stray hairs behind my ear when he stood up. "I told you you needed to sleep." He strode toward the door, twisting the knob.

"It was worth it," I called after him as he walked out and down the hall. I flipped through the file he had been looking at. It was our victim, Jason Drillins. I looked over the file, which was pretty much spotless. Except once, in 1998. Dropped charges. His name never went down in the Foster's files, but the charges showed up on his.

"Vandalism, breaking and entering," I said to myself. I took a drink of coffee.

"How's it coming, O'Hara?" Chief Vick appeared suddenly at the door, startling me.

"Oh, uh, good, Chief," I said. "Carlton's digging up an arrest record, so I think he's got a hunch." She leaned on the door casing and crossed her arms.

"Did I scare you, O'Hara?"she asked, eyes narrowing. "You seem like you feel guilty." I frowned.

"No, I just didn't get much sleep last night," I half lied. I hadn't gotten much sleep, but I sure as hell was guilty. She didn't seem to believe me, but turned to leave anyway.

"Keep me posted," she said, retreating quickly to her office. I almost wondered why. But I heard it before I saw it.

Slurping and assurances that it would be fine to drop by and see Jules. I gritted my teeth. Today was just my day. Another six hours without my newly found dependence (Carlton), Buzz and the Chief knowing something was up, and now Shawn. Apparently with a pineapple smoothie.

"Hey, Jules!" he said, rounding the corner and flouncing into the room. Gus followed behind him, carrying a cup try that had three more smoothies. Shawn turned to him and took one marked with a 'J'. He handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked. He smiled like that was a silly question.

"It's a smoothie, Jules. You've been hanging around Lassie too much. Speaking of Lassie, where ever he mayst be, I brought him a smoothie," he said, taking the other cup from Gus and putting it by Carlton's mug.

"I don't think you used that word right," Gus said, sipping from the third smoothie. He threw the cup tray in the garbage by the door. I cautiously brought my straw to my lips.

"Don't worry, Jules. I know you don't like pineapple smoothies, so I got you and Lassie strawberry watermelon," he said smoothly. I took a sip. Delicious.

"What do you want, Shawn?" I asked. He shrugged. Gus rolled his eyes.

"I dunno. A simple 'Thank you, Shawn, this is the most delicious smoothie in the whole wide world. I owe you one'," he said in his 'eighth grade girl' voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you for the smoothies, Shawn. They are delicious. But I can't get you on the case," I said, sipping from my smoothie again. "Now please leave before I get in trouble." Shawn seemed to admit his defeat, which troubled me.

"Okay. Tell Lassie we said 'hi'," he said, turning with Gus. They walked past Carlton without stopping. Wow.

"What was up with those two?" He asked, shutting the door before joining me at the table.

"I don't know," I said. "They brought you a smoothie."

"I'm not drinking that," he said simply. I didn't blame him.

"I don't think they poisoned it, Carlton," I said, pushing it into his hands. He sipped it.

"It's pretty good," he admitted. I smiled. We were silent.

"God, it's gonna be just like I thought it was," I sighed, flipping a file open.

"Slowly losing the battle in your head about how it would be wrong to rip our clothes off?" he supplied. I fanned myself with a folder.

"You are spot on," I said. "Did you find anything?"

"Yes. I found the arrest record from that night. Drillins was with the Fosters, but his father bailed him out, and the charges 'mysteriously' dropped," he said. I jotted down a note.

"Do you think it's possible that the Fosters kidnapped him?" I asked. He nodded. "Do we know where they are?"

"Yep. Get your coat, we're about to head out," he said, pulling his keys from his pocket. We both stood up.

"Good work, partner," I said as I passed him. I winked. "Maybe later I can show you how good it was."

* * *

"They're going back to jail," I said. Carlton nodded. "I can't believe they threw a knife at you."

"I can't believe you knocked me out of the way before it hit me," he said. We were alone in the observation room. I stood on my toes and kissed the scratch on his cheek.

"I knocked you into a pile of tin roofing, Carlton," I said. He shrugged.

"A couple of scratches is better than a knife in the shoulder, Juliet. Do you think we've left them alone long enough?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'm sure one is ready to come clean and the other fabricated some elaborate story," I said, kissing a scratch closer to his mouth before kissing him.

"Should we go together or one at a time?" he asked.

"You go first. Then I'll come in, wait a bit, then you leave," I said. He nodded. I dropped back onto the flats of my feet before he kissed my forehead. He walked out of the door and into interrogation.

I leaned against the window while Carlton grilled the Fosters. The younger one was already twitching. The other was picking at his finger nails. They knew something.

"Well, my partner and I don't believe you," Carlton said, flipping through their file. The older, James, I think, scoffed.

"Your partner? You mean that chick at the trailer park who pushed you outta the way," he said, slicking back his hair. "She was pretty hot." Carlton laughed.

"Yeah, that 'chick' is my partner, Detective Juliet O'Hara, and she is pretty hot. But let me say this. You don't call her that," Carlton was leaned across the table. I was blushing like a tomato with a sunburn. He leaned back, closing the file. "Now, I'm sure you know that even if you don't tell us anything, you're both going to jail." The younger one gasped.

"What?! Why? What did we do?" he said. His brother shot him a dirty look.

"Assaulting a police officer, two actually. So that could be two fifteen year sentences for both of you," he said, pausing to let that sink in. The younger was obviously freaked out. He tilted his head to the side, my cue. I went into interrogation.

"Hi, boys. Now, it says here that you were arrested in '98 for breaking and entering. Repeat offense, so you went to jail, right?" I said leaning against the table. James nodded.

"Yeah, we was stupid. But since we got out on parole, we haven't done a thing," he said, tapping his fingers on the cool metal table. I sat down in front of him.

"I have a question about that night. You were robbing a liqueur store, right? Pretty big job. You two had some help, didn't you?" I asked, tapping Carlton's knee under the table. He stood up and collected his files.

"I've got to go see how their processing papers are going. Chief is suggesting the longest sentence possible, and you know how she is. They'll probably be done in half an hour, so wrap it up, O'Hara," he said, striding out of the room.

"Sorry about him, he's such a hard ass some times. Now, you boys seem pretty nice. I don't want you to go to jail. But you will, because throwing a knife towards two officers doesn't fly," I said, leaning my face on the heel of my palm. "So, if you can give me information, maybe I can help you."

"What are you wanting?" James asked. Dean sat quietly, hands twisting on the table top.

"I want to know who was helping you that night, and why the charges got dropped." He shook his head.

"It was just us, lady," he said. Beside him, his brother shook his head.

"Okay, well, if you can't tell me anything, I'll get a uniform to take you to the holding cells," I said, standing up and smoothing my skirt down. I walked out, greeted by Carlton.

"Hard ass? Nice boys? Laying on pretty thick, O'Hara," he said, flagging a uniform down.

"Pretty hot?" I said pointedly. His ear went red. "I want to separate them. The younger one has something he's willing to tell."

"Okay, we'll separate them, see what comes out of it. You wanna go get some coffee later?" he asked.

"Make it lunch and you've got a deal."

* * *

Dean ratted his brother out. He had gone to jail for his brother once, he wasn't going to do it again.

"Jason was a friend from high school. James was really mad that his dad just bought him out of trouble. But I swear, he hasn't done anything to him. We haven't seen him since his dad bailed him out," he said, hands twisting. "I didn't throw the knife, miss. I didn't even know you was there."

"Look, I'm going to help you, Dean. In all of your cases, it seems that you just so happened to be there. I can suggest that your sentence only be a year or two, but I can't say the same for your brother," I said, closing his file. He gave me a relieved smile.

"Thank you, so much!" he said. I smiled back.

"Officer McNab is going to take you down to the holding cells. You don't have to tell your brother any of this," I said. McNab came in with a pair of hand cuffs. "I think we can go with out the cuffs, Buzz. Right, Dean?" Dean nodded.

Buzz put the cuffs back on his belt. I walked out behind them.

"Good work, Detective," Chief said to Carlton and I.

"It was mostly O'Hara, Chief," Carlton said. I rolled my eyes at him. "I just played bad cop."

"Now you need to actually find Drillins," she said. "McNab did a follow up on his family. His multimillionaire father passed away four years ago. No mother. He does have a sister, though."

"His sister was the one who reported him missing, right?" I asked, putting the files on top of the filing cabinet.

"No. His dog walker did," she said. Carlton's eyebrows knit together.

"We'll get on it, Chief," I said. She nodded.

"Hurry, Detectives."

* * *

"So, I'm guessing you think it's the sister," I said, biting into my chicken cheese quesadilla.

"Nope. Sister lives in Vancouver," he said. "And Drillins gave her her split of the forty million dollars. I don't know why she would want more. Or why she would choose to live in Canada." He bit into his steak burrito. I smiled.

"What is your full crap list, Carlton? I'd really like to know," I said. He shook his head.

"No, you don't. Now eat. We've still got forty-five minutes for lunch, and I intend to use them for completely unethical reasons," he said plainly. I choked a little.

"Are we robbing a bank?" I asked. He laughed.

"That's more 'illegal' than 'unethical', don't you think?" he asked, chewing his food quickly.

"I guess," I said, hurrying to finish my quesadilla.

"My apartment is right around the corner," he said in a low voice.

"I was wondering why we were having Taco Bell instead of Chinese," I said, crumbling my taco paper. He finished his burrito, and I took the wrapper, throwing it away as we nearly ran out of the restaurant.

"We need to hurry," I said, buckling up. He slammed the door and spun out of the parking lot. "Carlton, you have to go the speed limit."

"This is an emergency," he stated. I agreed with him.

* * *

I was sitting on his dining room table with my skirt pushed up when his phone rang.

"Damn it," he growled, flipping it open. "Hello? Oh, hey, Chief." I groaned under my breath and slipped off of the table, smoothing my skirt down. "No, I'm about to sit down and eat... Is that important?... You've got it, Karen." He flipped his phone shut.

"Did I say you could move?" he asked me. I was a little confused.

"No, but doesn't the Chief want us at the station?" I asked, shrieking when he picked me up and sat me back on the table. He pushed my skirt back up.

"Yeah, and she wants me to bring her back a bean burrito. But she told me to go ahead and eat first," he said with a wicked grin. He got on his knees. "And I intend to."

* * *

I went back to work with wobbly knees and a bean burrito for Karen. I knocked on her doors before walking in. I sat the bag and drink on her desk.

"Thank you, Juliet," she said, putting her pen down and tearing into the bag. "Iris was running all over me this morning, I ran off and left my lunch and my wallet." She unwrapped her burrito and bit into it. "And for the second time, I almost ran over my husband." I smiled.

"You're welcome, Chief," I said, turning to leave.

"Tell Carlton I said thank you," she said. I nodded.

"Will do, Chief," I said, walking out of her office and over to my desk. I sat in my chair and eyed Carlton, who was pouring over a file. I dialed his extension.

"Lassiter," he said. I spun a little in my chair.

"This is Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara. I was wondering if you had a spare moment to meet with someone. In private," I said. He looked up from his file, but not at me. He rested the phone between his ear and shoulder and flipped open his calendar.

"Yes, I'm open from five o'clock P.M. to six A.M. every weekday. Can I write down their name for a certain time?" he asked, twirling his pencil. I opened my own calendar, holding the receiver with my shoulder.

"Yes, um, they might need all of your free time," I said, doodling on the margins of my calendar.

"That's absolutely perfect. Can I get their name?" he asked. I smiled.

"Her name is Juliet, but you can call her anytime," I said, watching the tips of his ears go red. "Oh, before I forget, I have a lead for you."

"Okay, thank you. I'll see you tonight at five?" he asked. I grinned.

"Perfect. 'Bye," I said.

"Great, good bye," he said. I sat down my phone and walked over to his desk.

"Hey, I've got a lead," I said, perching on the edge of his desk. He rolled back slightly in his chair.

"Lay it on me," he said. I smiled.

"Guess who was missing when we check the house, has a criminal record, and would do anything for his kids?"

"Samuel Foster," he said. I nodded.

"Great minds think alike," I said. He picked up his jacket and keys.

"Let's roll."

* * *

"Well, that was an open shut case. Disappointing, really," Carlton said. I had my head in his lap, and he was playing with my hair.

"Not every case can be the Westside Rapist, Carlton," I said, enjoying his fingers against my scalp.

"I didn't expect the father to cop to it, or for Drillins to be half dead in the basement," he said, twisting my hair.

"Ow, Carlton, that's attached to my head. It was pretty nasty, but at least he was alive," I said. Carlton muttered an apology and twisted my hair again.

"Yeah, I guess. Something still seems wrong," he said. Then he took his fingers from my hair. "Done." I sat up and touched my hair. A fishtail braid.

"You can braid hair?" I said, laughing a little. He shrugged.

"My sister always wanted someone to braid her hair, and our mother was always busy," he said. I sat in his lap and kissed him.

"It may be entirely possible that you are perfect," I said. He rolled his eyes. I continued in a low voice, "And I don't know about you, but I'm ready for bed." He scooped me up and started off toward his bedroom.

"I thought you'd never ask."


	5. Chapter 5

**Late night update! Suck it, tired eyes and sleepy brain. I'm going to try to regulate my posting so I can finish all of my stories. Also, I think I might go back and edit my other story. You know, the one I actually finished and now want to mess with. Oh well. The well and semi full, but the pump is all rusty. So yeah. Ramble ramble.**

**I don't own Psych, silly goose. I do, however, own a particularly gorgeous picture of a bearded Tim Omundson.**

* * *

Back to back cases. A solid three weeks.

We had been alone together for maybe three hours. Total. Which we used to sleep.

It sucked.

But we were on a roll. A very tiring roll. We eventually dug up an extension cord and plugged a coffee machine up on the conference room table.

I sat with a file in front of me, one hand on my mug of nearly cold coffee and the other in Carlton's lap, fingers threaded between his. I put my mug down and closed my file.

"What time is it?" I asked, yawning. He checked his left wrist.

"It is two-thirty. Early Friday morning," he supplied. I nodded.

"I solved it," I said, draining my mug.

"You did?"

"Yeah, it was the gardener, um, Pete Rosen. All of the evidence points towards him, and I'd bet my last dime if we brought him in again, he'd crack." Carlton thought that over for a second.

"I have no clue how we did not see that before. Good work, O'Hara," he said, dropping my hand and standing up.

"Where are you going?" I asked. He smiled.

"I'm gonna bust this son of a bitch, and then I'm gonna take you home."

* * *

"Take a couple of days off, Detectives. You've been working yourselves to death," Karen said, motioning for us to sit. We hadn't gone home after busting Rosen. Instead, we pulled another double shift. I sat gratefully, and Carlton did a few seconds later.

"Thanks, Chief, but we're on a roll. I think we'll be okay. Even Psych hasn't nosed their way in," he said, rolling his thumbs together. I noticed the dark shadows under both of his eyes and knew I probably matched. She sighed.

"Carlton, go home. Same to you, Juliet. If you don't, I will make it mandatory off time. A whole week of it, Carlton. So, either take the next two days off or it's a week," Karen said. I frowned, but two days alone with Carlton? That was to much to pass up.

"I'm with Carlton, Chief," I said. He shot me a surprised look. "I think we're fine. I mean, we've busted nine cases in three weeks." She narrowed her eyes.

"I want both of you at home. Resting, Carlton, not at the gun range. Two days. Read, write, cook, sleep, I don't care what you do. Just come back Thursday rested," she said, standing up and striding out of her office. Carlton followed her to the door and leaned out of it into the nearly empty bullpen.

"Can we finish our pot of coffee?" he called after her. She turned around, but kept walking.

"Nope! Go home!" she called back, and then disappeared down the stairs.

"I think she knows," I said. He nodded.

"Most likely. Now, it's seven o'clock. Do you want to get some breakfast?" he asked. I smiled.

"Words I've been waiting my entire life for," I said.

* * *

After pancakes, eggs, toast, and two pots of coffee, we were laying in my bed, listening to my neighbors starting their day.

"Ooh, I bet you five dollars she yells at her son to take out the trash, and then a door slams," I said. Carlton smiled.

"You're on, O'Hara," he said. We fell silent.

"Take out the damn trash already, Travis!" my neighbor screamed. Stomping footsteps and then, Bam!, a slammed door. Carlton frowned at me.

"Hmmm, instead of five dollars, I want something else…," I said. I tapped my chin. He groaned.

"What do you want?" he asked, nuzzling my neck. I kissed him and then sat up.

"I literally want the shirt off your back," I said. He looked at me funny. "Go on, take it off." I pulled my own shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. He tugged his light blue tee off and handed it to me. I pushed my arms through and pulled it on. Something about his shirts made me feel good. Surrounded. Safe.

"I would have given it to you, anyway," he remarked, pulling me back into the seas of blankets. I snuggled into him, balling up to his chest. "It seems that all of my clothes look better on you."

I kissed him softly. He pulled me tighter to him. I pulled away, both of us groaning.

"What time is it?" I asked. He tilted his head over to read my alarm clock.

"Quarter after eight," he replied, attaching his lips to the juncture of my shoulder and neck.

"Why don't we, mmmmm, get some sleep, and then I'll , ooh, make some lunch breakfast food?" I said, nearly loosing my train of thought. He nodded, and I laid my head on his bare chest.

"Good morning, Carlton," I said, closing my eyes. He kissed my head.

"Good morning, Juliet."

* * *

I woke up before Carlton, and even managed to get out of bed without waking him up. I tiptoed through my apartment to the kitchen, wearing nothing but Carlton's shirt. So, naturally, that's when someone knocked on the door. I checked through the peephole.

Shawn.

I considered not answering it and pretending not to be home. But he wouldn't leave. He would then start calling. Maybe even go into the station and ask where I was. And then, of course, come back because someone would tell him I was home.

I opened the door.

"Jules!" he exclaimed. I gave him an annoyed smile.

"Hey, Shawn, what's up?" I said, opening the door only wide enough for him to see the glance of my (Carlton's) shirt. He grinned.

"Nothing much. I stopped by the station. Buzz said you had today off, so I thought I'd drop by," he said, the smile still pasted on.

"Um, I would love to hang out Shawn, but, uh, I have, erm, company," I explained. The smile faded slowly into realization. He looked me over.

"Oh my God, Jules, you're wearing a man shirt! Without pants! You have a lover in the night time!" he exclaimed. I was tomato red.

"Shawn, I really don't want to be rude, but… Please, please, please, please, please, please, please with a pineapple smoothie on top, please leave," I said. He blushed a tiny bit.

"Did I interrupt something? Cause you know, Jules, it's, like, one-thirty," he said.

"Please leave, Shawn. I promise we will hangout or get a smoothie tomorrow. Just, please leave," I said.

"You really like this guy, huh?" he asked, half smiling. I nodded.

"Yeah. I really, really do."

"Okay. But you owe me a smoothie and a John Hughes movie tomorrow," he said. I laughed.

"How about Fast Times at Ridgemont High?" I asked. He grimaced.

"Pretty in Pink is waaaay better," he said.

"Agree to disagree?"

"Yeah. We can watch Sixteen Candles."

"Deal. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have fun with your man friend." He left quickly. Wow.

I locked the door back and poked my head back into my bedroom. Carlton was out like a busted light bulb. I went back into the kitchen and fried half a dozen eggs, along with a quarter pound of bacon. I made four pieces of toast, and by the time I had the orange juice poured, Carlton was sitting at the bar.

I made his plate and sat it in front of him. I poured his coffee and sat it beside him before coming around with my own food.

"This is fantastic, Juliet," he said, tearing into the bacon and eggs. I smiled.

"Thank you," I said, diving into my plate.

"I love that you actually eat around me," he said, biting into his toast. I looked up at him, a piece of bacon hanging out of my mouth.

"Whaddaya mean?" I asked, chewing it up. His ears reddened.

"Most women won't eat much around guys, if they eat at all," he said. I smiled.

"I think I could probably eat more than you, Carlton," I said, kissing his nose. He grinned.

We finished eating, and Carlton insisted on washing the dishes. After I dried them, we wandered into the living room and we settled into spooning on the couch.

"SVU?" I asked.

"SVU," he agreed. I picked up the TV remote and turned it on. We talked over the episodes, and I dropped off several times. Carlton kissed my neck.

"Go ahead and sleep, Juliet," he said. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

I woke up to Carlton's hands drifting across my stomach, his fingers circling my naval several times before dipping one in. I turned my head over and kissed him, tugging away from his hands and sliding my thigh over his hip. I braced my hands against his chest, using the leverage to deepen the mind-devouring kiss.

"Mmmm," he moaned as we broke away. He tugged the shirt off of my body, tossing it over the back of the couch. My heart was pounding nearly as fast as my head. I leant down and recaptured his lips, grinding against him. He kissed down to just below my ribcage, leaving wet trails to be ignited by his warm breath. I was almost putty. His hands slid down my thighs, and I stopped him.

"No," I said breathlessly. He raised an eyebrow.

"No," he repeated. I nodded.

"This is the first time we've been together in three weeks. I want us to go together," I said, pecking his lips. He smiled.

"Okay," he said, nipping my bottom lip. I pushed his boxers down, grinding against him slowly. He bucked.

"Damn it, Juliet! I thought you said together," he breathed, flipping us over in the next second.

"I did," I said, wrapping my legs around his waist.

"Condom," he said, starting to disentangle himself from me. I clung on.

"I've got it covered," I said, drawing him back to me. I took the foil packet I had, wisely, put in my shirt pocket. "No pun intended."

"You think of every thing," he said, kissing my neck.

"Yes, well, right now I can only think of one thing. Please hurry, baby," I said, the term of endearment tumbling past my lip before I could look in to it very much. Instead of freaking out, he kissed me.

"You've got it, sweetheart."

* * *

"How does Mario's sound?" Carlton asked me.

"Fantastic," I said, my attention staying on my movie collection. I dug through, trying to find a movie I knew I had.

"Should I call and make a reservation?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, baby, that sounds great," letting the endearment slip for the hundredth time. I closed my hand around the movie I had been searching for. "What time is it? Four. Can you make it for eight o'clock?" He nodded. I opened the box and took the DVD out. I quickly put it in the player and hid the box before Carlton started looking over my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" he asked, pulling me up. I threw my arms around his neck.

"Watch a movie with me," I requested, pushing him backwards onto the couch. He sat down, and I snuggled beside him.

"What movie?" he asked.

"Shh. Close your eyes," I said. He covered them, and I hit play before he could open them and see the title screen.

"What movie, Juliet?" he asked again.

"Promise you'll watch it," I said. He nodded.

"I promise I'll watch it," he said. I kissed his cheek.

"Good. It's Steel Magnolias," I said. He started to protest. "Uh uh. You promised to watch it."

"It has Julia Roberts AND Olympia Dukakis!"

"Suck it up, sailor. You promised."

* * *

**AN: I leave it here. I'll try to get my crap together and finish it soon. Top priority, guys. I promise.**


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